TooMuchWork

Music

Well I have been playing musical instruments for some time now.

I play the organ (yes complete with pedals), piano, sax (I play tenor and soprano and have one of each), and am starting to learn the flute. I also want to learn the cello or double bass (time and money permitting).

Organ

Well I've been playing the organ since 1987 (yes 6 years old). I learnt from a De La Sal brother while at school at St Jerome's. I started to learn basic chords in the left hand, melody in the right and pedals. While in high school (upper high school), i started to learn how to play proper left hand. I've got a small repertoire which i can play fairly well, which i try to work on expanding as i get more time.

Me Playing at a wedding in 2004

I've been playing for weddings here and there since about 1997. Mainly family and friends of family but it's something different from the normal rut.

Saxophone

Well when i started at Patrician Brothers in Blacktown, i got the opportunity to learn the tenor saxophone. I"ve been playing it now for coming on 10 years and really enjoy it. My parents bought me a nice one for my 18th birthday and then a soprano sax for my 21st (since the tenor was off getting fixed).

Me playing sax at my year 12 graduation

I have done AMEB (Australian Music Education Board), Examinations for saxophone. All the exams are for the tenor sax since they were mainly done while @ school.. I completed Grade 2 and 3 (A+ and A respectively). After skilling grade 4, and preparing for the 5th grade exam, i decided to stop at this point due to the amount of school work i had on. Unfortunately i have not picked up exams again but on a technical point i'm proficient to Grade 5 (maybe even 6).

Orchestra (well Band)

This one time... At Band Camp...

Well that never happened to me thankfully... But i was part of the school Orchestra, and a few of the smaller bands.

This is how i mainly got into the saxophone.. When i joined Patrician Brothers in 1994, i joined the orchestra to play percussion. Mainly glockenspiel, Timpani, and stuff like that. But was a good introduction. In 1995 after a few months lessons, i made the switch to sax, and then headed the sax section in 1996 (Year 10)...

The Trio

With John (My closest friend), we have been in several contests, performances, and what not. Here is a picture of us taken at a performance in 1999.

John, Dom, and I in 1999

John is not just a brilliant pianist and organist (though very modest), but is also a wonderful composer. He has taken our little trio through several competitions and performances with beautiful music and has always rose to the occasion when needing to compose. These pieces range in style from jazz to classical, romantic and some easy listening style.

With a piece he wrote in year 10 (1996), we were able to win a James Joyce Foundation competition even though it was our first year into the competition. Our winning entry was a combination of Music, Dance, Movement and Spoken word along with audio/visual aids (slides and movie) to help.

John's river piece (the river suit), was written for Piano, Tenor Sax, Timpani, Chimes, Flute and Voice. All up about 8 minutes of work broken into 6 themes which melded into each other and showed a vast difference in colour and contrast.

Church

Since i can remember I've been involved in one choir or another. From the age of 7 i was changing overheads. By 10 i was a backup organist. By 13 i was organist for the children's choir in Punchbowl (were i was living). Then when we moved i decided to start a new group and with a few friends from school, was playing at regular bi-weekly services.

Well several years have passed now, and i am the co-ordinator for at least 2 groups, and also seem to get lumped organising special events (Xmas etc). In particular for the last 8 years I've been heavily involved in the running or the Children's Christmas Mass for south Blacktown.

The 2004 Xmas Pageant Music Group

The photo above was from the 2004 Xmas pageant which i ran. There were 5 musicians on the night (lower then we usually have), but a lovely blend of sounds. John wrote music for all the small parts of the pageant section of the mass including a nice chilling piece for Herod which sent shivers down most people's spines. I keep telling him he should be in the film music game but oh well I.T. beckoned i guess.

Audio Engineering

I am also a qualified sound engineer. I did a 1 year course while at uni (through the western Sydney audio academy). It's a cool thing to have up my sleeve but i don't expect to go making a career out of it. Don't think my ears can keep up with it :)

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